1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle mount disc player whose reproduction unit chassis is supported in a floating state by damper mechanisms, and more particularly to a lock position of the reproduction unit when a disc is loaded or unloaded, and to a disc loading/unloading mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional vehicle mount disc player whose reproduction unit chassis is supported in a floating state on a main chassis by damper mechanisms, will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG. 7A illustrates a reproduction state of a disc 6, and FIG. 7B illustrates a loading or unloading state of the disc 6.
A reproduction unit 1 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B supports a pickup 1c and a disc motor 1a. A turntable 1b fixed to a rotary shaft of the disc motor 1a supports the disk 6 which is rotated by the disc motor 1a. The pickup 1c is transported in a disc radial direction by a pickup transport unit (not shown) supported by the reproduction unit chassis 1. In the above manner, the reproduction unit chassis 1 supports mechanisms necessary for the reproduction of a disc. In order to prevent external vibrations from being transmitted to the reproduction unit chassis 1, the chassis 1 is supported by side walls 5 of the main chassis via damper mechanisms 2 constituted of coil springs and dampers.
In the reproduction state shown in FIG. 7A, the reproduction unit chassis 1 is supported in a floating state by the damper mechanisms 2 and moves relative to the main chassis. In order to allow a sufficient relative motion of the reproduction unit chassis 1, the chassis 1 is disposed in its natural state by providing upper and lower spaces A and B.
As shown in FIG. 7B, when the disc 6 is loaded or unloaded, a lock mechanism 3 fixes the reproduction unit chassis 1 at a neutral position of the damper mechanisms 2 and a disc loading/unloading mechanism 4 is raised to load or unload the disc 6 so that the disc 6 does not abut on a projection supported by the reproduction unit chassis 1 such as the turntable 1b while the disc 6 is transported.
In the conventional vehicle mount disc player described above, when the disc 6 is loaded or unloaded, the reproduction unit chassis 1 is fixed at the neutral position of the damper mechanisms 2. Therefore, the lower space B under the reproduction unit chassis 1 becomes a wasteful space and the disc player cannot be thinned.
An example of the disc loading/unloading mechanism of a conventional vehicle mount disc player is shown in FIG. 8. A disc recording/reproducing unit is supported by a floating chassis (reproduction unit chassis) which is supported by a main chassis via unrepresented damper mechanisms.
A housing (main chassis) 52 has a fixed disc guide 53 extending inward from a disc insert port 52a. A disc 51 inserted into the disc insert port 52a is transported to a recording/reproducing position by an unrepresented feed roller, or the disc 6 at the recording/reproducing position is transported to a position extending outward from the disc insert port 52a. 
A disc used with the vehicle mount disc player is accommodated in a cartridge on which a shutter 58 is mounted in a slidable state as shown in FIG. 9. The shutter 58 opens and closes a window of the cartridge. In some state, the end of the shutter 58 becomes open and extends downward from the cartridge bottom surface by a distance C′ shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixed disc guide 53 and a floating disc guide 54 are each provided with slanted guide portions 53a and 55 to smoothly guide the disc 6.
With the conventional disc loading/unloading mechanism described above, the slanted guide portions 53a and 55 are disposed facing each other. It is therefore necessary to set a distance B′ shown in FIG. 8 between opposing ends of the slanted guide portions 53a and 55 in order to allow a motion stroke of the floating chassis. The distance of transporting the disc 6 becomes long and the depth of the apparatus becomes large.